USA > Indiana > Fountain County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 20
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 2 > Part 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66
On September 20, 1864, Mr. Spencer returned home, Harveysburg, and resumed work at his trade, at the same bench he had left to take up his musket in defense of the flag, and he used the same apron and tools that he formerly used. In 1887 he moved to Kingman, where he has since been engaged in the furniture and undertaking business, enjoying the distinction of being the old- est undertaker, in point of service, in Fountain county. He has built up an extensive and lucrative business in the southern part of the county, and has long been rated as one of Kingman's foremost business men and citizens.
Mr. Spencer was married, first, on January 1, 1865, to Sylvani Sowers, daughter of Alfred Sowers, an early settler of Fountain county, and to this union the following children were born : James, deceased; Edward and Clara
523
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
are also both deceased; William lives in Chicago; Oscar is working for his father; Gilbert is in the drygoods and grocery business in Kingman; Nellie died in infancy ; Augusta May married Wesley Black. The wife and mother passed away in the spring of 1882, and in the year 1887 Mr. Spencer married Mary E. Morris, of Parke county.
Mr. Spencer is a Prohibitionist, very active and is pronounced in his views. He was formerly a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a man of blameless character, genial' disposition and has a host of warm friends.
WILLIAM R. GREENLEY.
It is proper to judge of the success and the status of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his fellow citizens. They see him at his work, in his family circle, in his church, hear his views on public questions, observe the outcome of his code of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of society and civilization and thus become competent to judge of his merits and demerits. After a long course of years of such observation it would be out of the question for his neighbors not to know his worth, because, as has been said, "Actions speak louder than words." In this community there is nothing heard concerning the subject of this sketch but good words. He has passed so many years here that his worth is well known, but it will be of interest to run over the busy events of his life in these pages.
William R. Greenley ivas born in Van Buren township, Fountain county, Indiana, on April 10, 1832, and thus his long life of more than eight decades has been spent in the same neighborhood. His parents were Francis and Vintentia (Riley) Greenley, who came to this state from Ohio, in 1831. The father, who was a native of New York state, was of English ancestry, while the mother's antecedents were from Ireland. Francis Greenley was the first doctor in Fountain county and the greater part of his practice was, of course, over a widely scattered territory, necessitating many long, tiresome and, oftimes, dangerous trips through the woods, over bridgeless streams, day or night, as the case might be, his faithful horse being his only traveling com- panion. His death occurred in 1834. His brother Orsamus was the first white man to die in Fountain county, his death occurring in 1825. Francis and Vintentia Greenley were the parents of two children, Orsamus, now de- ceased, and William, the subject of his sketch.
524
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
William Greenley received his education in the common schools, which at that early day were rather primitive in both methods and equipment, though it cannot be gainsaid that the lessons taught, such as they were, were well learned. When old enough Mr. Greenley applied himself to farming, to which he devoted himself continuously until 1909, when he retired from active labor and moved to Veedersburg, where he now resides. Mr. Greenley owned two hundred and eighty-three acres of land, hut upon his retirement he sold one hundred and twenty acres of this. He kept his farm at all times in good condition and few farms in Van Buren township excelled his in appear- ance or productivity.
On February 3, 1856, Mr. Greenley was married to Adeline Hershberger, the daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth (Boblet) Hershberger. Her parents were natives of Virginia and came to Indiana in 1829, buying a tract of gov- ernment land for which they paid one dollar and a quarter per acre, the land lying in Van Buren township. They were the parents of thirteen children, of which number Mrs. Greenley is the only survivor. To Mr. and Mrs. Greenley have been born three children, namely: Vintentia is the wife of Freeman Dice, of Van Buren township, this county; Stanley, who died at the age of thirty years, and Ira, who died at the age of eighteen months. Stan- ley married Ida A. Bonebrake, of Mill Creek township, and they had four children, Myrtle, Lizzie, Vera and Grethel.
Mr. Greenley has always shown a deep interest in the general welfare of his locality and, though never a seeker after office, he served the community one term as justice of the peace. His religious membership is with the United Brethren church, of which he has long been a faithful and devoted member, giving of his time and means to its support. In the strictest sense of the word he is a self-made man and is deserving of the high esteem which he enjoys.
GEORGE W. DIFFENDERFER.
For a period of sixty-seven years George W. Diffenderfer, a well known agriculturist of Fountain county, now living retired, has made his home in our midst, and during that period he has witnessed a wonderful transforma- tion in this community, taking a conspicuous part in the same. If one is in- terested in the early history of the county and likes to hear contrasted the modes and customs of living between that remote time and the present, he could not spend an hour more pleasantly or profitably than by listening to the
.
.
525
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
subject's reminiscences. He came here when a boy of about seven years and thus grew up with the country and has been by no means an idle spectator of its upbuilding, and he has led such a life of honesty, sobriety and industry as to enjoy all the while the respect of all who have had occasion to know him either personally or by reputation. He has been quick to adopt the advanced methods of farming and has therefore been successful and now, as the twi- light of life gathers about him, he is permitted to spend his time in quiet, enjoying the fruits of his earlier years of toil and economy, meriting a respite.
Mr. Diffenderfer was born in Circleville, Ohio, October 23, 1838. He is the son of Gottlieb and Mary Ann ( Rogers) Diffenderfer, the father hav- ing been a baker by trade, and he removed his family from Ohio to Covington, Indiana, in 1845, establishing the first bakery here, having made the long trip overland from the Buckeye state, in a covered wagon and five horses. They found here a straggling frontier village and a thinly settled country round about, but they believed in its future and so established their permanent home here. The father of the subject kept a bakery and grocery store here until 1851, then purchased one hundred and ninety acres of land which he im- proved and on which he spent the rest of his life engaged in general farming, his death occurring in 1875, at the age of sixty-five years. His widow sur- vived thirty-five years, dying in 1910 at the ripe old age of ninety-one years. They became the parents of ten children, five of whom are living, namely : George W., of this review; Mrs. Jane Hegley, of Covington; Samuel, who lives in Wabash township; David and Katy both live in Covington.
George W. Diffenderfer grew to manhood in Fountain county and he received his education in the common schools of Troy township and Coving- ton. He took up farming for a livelihood when young and this has been his life work. He was superintendent of the county farm from 1873 to 1876, filling the position in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned. He is the owner of a well im- proved and productive farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and is now liv- ing retired.
On October 18, 1866, Mr. Diffenderfer was united in marriage with Mary E. DeHaven, daughter of Jacob DeHaven and wife, a highly respected old family of this county. Mrs. Diffenderfer was born January 3, 1848, and died July 6, 1906. To this union three children were born, namely : Charles, who died when fifteen months old; Ed, born at the county house, lives in Covington, married Katie Conover, who is now deceased, and to them three children were born, Grace, George and Harry; George Clifford, young- est of the subject's children, lives at Elcampo, Texas; he is a mechanic by trade.
526
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
Politically, Mr. Diffenderfer is a Democrat and, fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Rebekahs. His father was one of the oldest members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was a trustee and steward in the Methodist Episcopal church, and was also a Demo- crat and was at one time assessor of his township.
NOAH MARION, TEEGARDEN.
Specific mention is made of many of the worthy citizens of Fountain county within the pages of this book, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well being of the community in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is Noah Marion Teegarden, of Veedersburg, one of the leading attorneys and business men of Fountain county, peculiar interest attaching to his career from the fact that his entire useful and busy life has been spent within the borders of this county, he being the scion of one of our worthiest old families, the escutcheon of whose honored name he has ever kept untarnished. The genealogical rec- ord of the Teegarden family is as follows :
(I) Abraham Teegarden, who was born in Prussia in 1688.
(II) Abraham Teegarden, Jr., who was born in Prussia in 1718, and, in company with his father, emigrated to the New World, landing at Phila- delphia on September 1, 1736. He married Lady Mary Parker, of Maryland, but who was born in England. They made their home in Philadelphia and became the parents of six sons and a daughter, among whom were Abraham, William, Thomas and Moses, all of whom served in the war of the Revolu- tion, and Susan, who became the wife of Colonel Shyrock, of Revolutionary fame.
(III) Moses Teegarden and his five sons were born in Pennsylvania. They emigrated westward, he stopping in Ohio and his sons continuing to In- diana, locating, George and Jacob in Fountain county in 1829, Abraham and Huston in Orange county, while William, who went to the northern part of the state, established what is known as Teegarden Station, on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
(IV) Jacob, one of those who located in Fountain county, married a Miss McGee, and they became the parents of nine children, one of whom was (V). David.
527
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
(V) David married Martha Jarred, who was the thirtieth of a family of thirty-one children born to her father by two marriages. They were farm- ing people of Mill Creek township, this county, where the grandfather entered a homestead. Among their children was John R. Teegarden, father of the immediate subject of this sketch.
(VI) John R. Teegarden was born in Fountain county, Indiana, Jan- uary 20, 1846, and was reared on the home place and educated in the old log school house, with greased paper windows, puncheon floors and open fire- place, on Prairie creek, in Wabash township. He devoted his life to agricul- tural pursuits, becoming one of the leading farmers of his vicinity. On De- cember 14, 1864, he enlisted in Company F, Seventy-second Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, in the famous Wilder's Brigade. He was subsequently trans- ferred to Company D, Forty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was in engagements at Grace Springs, Alabama; Buzzard Roost, Selma and Mont- gomery. He entered the service as a recruit and was sent at once to the front and served nine months very creditably without drilling a day, and he was honorably discharged on September 14, 1865.
After the war Mr. Teegarden returned home and resumed farming. On December 10, 1872, he was united in marriage with Huldah Deer, daughter of Uriah and Elizabeth (Long) Deer, natives of Kentucky and Virginia, respectively. To this union six children were born, namely : Burt E .; Noah M., subject of this sketch; David R .; Cassius C .; Daisy Myrtle, who married Alvin Edwards, a carpenter; Emma May, the youngest of the children, has been twice married, first to Claude Beeson, to which union one son was born, Fay D. Beeson; her second marriage was with Glenn Myers.
John R. Teegarden is a Democrat and a member of the Masonic order. He is the owner of a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres, all under cultivation and well improved, which land lies in Mill Creek township; he owns forty acres in Fulton township, also two hundred and fifty-two acres in Parke county. In connection with general farming, he raises live stock of a superior grade, trotting and draft horses, cattle, hogs, etc., which, owing to their fine qualities, find a very ready market.
(VII) Noah M. Teegarden was born on what is known as the "Milk and Honey Farm," near Kingman, Fountain county, June 28, 1876, and there he grew to manhood. He received his early education in the common schools, and when fifteen years of age entered the Indiana Normal College at Covington, finishing his education in the Terre Haute State Normal in 1895. He then took a course in bookkeeping and commercial law in Crawfords- ville. He began his active business career by working on the farm one year,
528
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
also dealt in timber three years. Then for two years he was in the real estate, loan and insurance business at Waveland. He spent the next two years in traveling in the West and in working on the home farm, then came to the town of Veedersburg in 1905 and engaged in the loan and insurance business. On March 19, 1906, he was admitted to practice law in the county courts, and on March 4, 1909, he was admitted to the supreme court, and he has since practiced law in Veedersburg and has also continued actively in loaning money. He has met with pronounced success in the varied lines to which he has directed his energies and is now one of the substantial men of his locality, leader in the material, civic and moral affairs of his community, supporting all measures looking toward the general upbuilding of the county of his nativity:
Mr. Teegarden was married, first, on September 26, 1899, to Laura Lotta Pickard, daughter of Frank and Eliza Pickard, of Waveland. Her death occurred on October 24, 1901. One child, Ruby, was born to this union. On October 29, 1905, Mr. Teegarden was united in marriage with Alice H. Hesler, daughter of Jacob and Lyda Annis (Davis) Hesler, of Fountain county, and to this union two children have been born, Lyda Imo- gene, born February 22, 1910, and Noah Marion, Jr., born December 1, 1911; the last named died September 3, 1912.
In religious matters Mr. Teegarden is a member of the Christian church, a deacon and financial secretary of the ministerial and church erection funds. He is president of the Commercial Club, the success of which has been very largely due to his efforts, and he is a director in and the attorney for the Hub Savings & Loan Association. He was a candidate for. prosecuting attorney in 1910, and he was chairman of the temperance organization which led the fight against the liquor traffic in the election in March, 1911. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic order. Personally, he is a genial, obliging and broad- minded gentleman who merits in every respect the high esteem in which he is universally held.
GEORGE S. GLOVER.
Among the earnest men whose enterprise and depth of character have gained a prominent place in the community and the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens is George S. Glover, well known clothing merchant of Veedersburg. He is a man of decided views and laudable ambitions, and his influence has ever been for the advancement of his kind and in the vocation to
George S.Hover
529
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
which his energies are devoted he ranks among our thriftiest young business men and is deserving of the large success which has attended his efforts.
Mr. Glover has long been known as the leading man in any enterprise designed to promote the welfare and advancement of Veedersburg, and to him in a large measure is due the credit for the fine stone roads leading into the city, as well as other public improvements. He is considered one of the most public spirited men in Fountain county.
Mr. Glover was born in Fountain county, Indiana, September 6, 1871, and is the son of William M. and Mary E. (Coffing) Glover, whose sketch appears elsewhere. George S. Glover received his education in the common schools of Covington, the Covington Normal College and the Terre Haute Normal. He worked on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age. He spent the next two years traveling in Texas and other states, taking and selling photographic views of residences. He is by nature a close observer and these travels were highly educational to him. He came to Veedersburg in March, 1898, and, in partnership with M. Herzog, entered the clothing business. In 1899, in partnership with W. B. Gray, he purchased Mr. Herzog's interest, and operated the business as the Fountain Clothing Company for three years. Since then, with the exception of one year, he has managed the busi- ness alone, opening a new store in 1904. He is also part owner of the Glover Dry Goods Company, operated by George S., WV. E. and B. E. Glover, doing a dry goods and grocery business, carrying a capital stock of fifteen thousand dollars and handling a large and complete line of goods, carefully selected and up-to-date at all seasons. This is one of the most popular and most extensively patronized stores of its kind in this section of the state. Its large success is due very largely to the able management and wide business discernment of the subject, who is a progressive, alert and careful business man and who has his affairs under a superb system, and here his thousands of customers always find courteous and honest treatment. In his own store, Mr. Glover handles clothing, gents furnishings, shoes, etc., keeping on hand a twelve thousand dollar stock.
Mr. Glover was married on June 12, 1907, to Catherine Reed, daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Leatherman) Reed, of Newtown, and to this union one child has been born, Constance Glover, whose birth occurred on May 20, 1909.
Mr. Glover has been very successful in a business way and besides his large mercantile interests he owns one hundred and sixty acres of well im- proved land, all under a good state of cultivation, and very favorably situated one mile west of Veedersburg. His beautiful residence in Veedersburg is (34)
.
530
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
worth three thousand and five hundred dollars. He also has stock to the amount of one thousand dollars in the Farmers State Bank, and is a member of the committee on loans. He is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished, for he is a self-made man and has accumulated the handsome competency which is today his through his unaided efforts. Politi- cally, he is a Republican, and for three years was a school director. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a trustee and secretary, and for the past five years has been superintendent of the Sunday school, and has taken an active part in church work.
JOHN S. MARTIN.
The record of the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch contains no exciti z chapters of tragic events, but is replete with well defined purposes which, carried to successful issue, won him an influential place in agricultural circles and a high personal standing among his fellow citizens. His life work was one of unceasing industry and perseverance and the systematic and honor- able methods which he followed resulted not only in getting the confidence of those with whom he had dealings, but also in the accumulation of a comfort- able competency.
John S. Martin was born on June 6, 1829, in Miami county, Ohio, and was the son of Ephraim and Rhoda (Sayers) Martin, both of whom are de- ceased. To them were born ten children, all of whom are also deceased. The subject of this sketch was given the advantage of attendance at the common schools of his neighborhood, which, at that early day, were somewhat primi- tive in both equipment and method. He was reared to the life of a farmer and to that line of work he consistently applied his efforts all his active years. His labors were rewarded with a fair measure of success and he gained a reputa- tion as one of the leading farmers of Fountain county. He was practical in his methods and energetic in his work, giving proper attention to every de- tail of the operation of the farm, the general appearance of which indicated him to be a man of good taste and sound judgment.
On October 28, 1852, Mr. Martin was united in marriage with Ellen Meharey, who was born on March 24, 1833, the daughter of Thomas and Unity (Patton) Meharey, who lived about two miles north of Wingate,
1
531
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
Indiana. To Mr. and Mrs. Martin were born six children, namely : Rhoda Unity is the wife of A. C. Schermerhorn (see sketch elsewhere) ; Thomas, who is a farmer near Attica, married Elizabeth Fisher; Ida May, now Mrs. Kirkpatrick, living near Attica; William died in infancy; Jesse, who married Lydia Emily Thompson, is employed in a bank in Attica; Annette, deceased, was the wife of David Gardner. The death of the subject occurred on Janu- ary 27, 1903, and in his passing away the community suffered a distinct loss, for he was a man who had, because of his high personal qualities, endeared himself to a wide circle of friends.
Politically, Mr. Martin was a stanch supporter of the Republican party, but was too busy with his own affairs to seek public office. His religious affiliation was with the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he gave liber- ally of his time and means. His life history was distinguished by the most substantial qualities of character and exhibited a long and virtuous career of private industry, performed with moderation and crowned with success, and his memory will long be revered by the people of this locality.
-
ALLEN W. HELMS.
It pays to make friends with nature, and the man who most dearly loves the soil seems to get the most out of it both in pleasure and remunerative harvests. Where the Wabash river drains the land of northern Fountain county, there are a number of beautiful farms, and one of the most highly cultivated of these is the property of Allen W. Helms, who loves every inch of his soil and has been rewarded by prosperity. He is one of the most prom- inent and influential men in Fountain county.
Mr. Helms was born in Veedersburg, Indiana, February 11, 1833. His father, George W. Helms, was the son of Thompson Helms, who settled near Wrightstown in 1823. Thompson Helms was of the good old Kentucky stock, and came to Indiana to practice the arts of agriculture, which he had learned in his home state. He found a country in its primeval state, and his was the work of clearing off the forest, building the first house, and bringing the land to a high state of cultivation. His son also spent his life in Fountain county, farming on the place on which Allen W. Helms is now living. He married Eliza Kealing, the daughter of James Kealing, who came to this country from England, settling on a piece of land that is now incorporated in Veedersburg, Indiana. James Kealing was a man of fine education and
532
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
taught school for a while in Fountain county. His daughter naturally had the benefit of an unusual opportunity in educational lines. George W. Helms had four brothers, Elisha, William, Sanford and Thompson. He died July 25, 1847, and his wife died in 1891, at the age of eighty-six. They had eleven children, four of whom are living. George Washington lives in Van Buren township. James Franklin is farming in Arkansas. Francis Marion is in the real estate business in Indianapolis, a d Allen W. Helms still lives in Fountain county. Riley, Oscar F., Guilford Hickman, Christopher, Amanda Melvina, Saralı Emeline and Eliza Jane are dead.
Allen W. Helms was educated in the common schools in a little log cabin. There, with the other boys and the girls in the neighborhood, he sat on the hard puncheon- seats and studied the customary three R's. On the old home farm he learned lessons evidently of more value than the present day instruc- tion if one may judge by the results. After finishing school he commenced farming and has lived to see a great change in farming implements. When he was a boy the ground was broken with a shovel plow, only one horse was used, and other crude methods were in vogue. Now, on his farm the most modern methods are used. On March 24, 1857, he married Zerelda Hetfield, daughter of Solomon Hetfield, who was one of the oldest settlers in this . country, coming to Fountain county in 1827. They had four children. Oscar Andrew died in infancy, as did also Sarah Emeline. Zelma Altea married Samuel Lafuse, a lawyer of Kingman, Indiana, who since his wife's death has gone to Kansas. For Frank Z. Helms, see the sketch in this work. Mrs. Zerelda Helms died March 26, 1891, and in January, 1894, he married Mary Purdue, daughter of Richard Purdue. They had three children, only one of whom, Elva Allen, is now living.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.